What are you listening to now?

[Zevy]

Thanks for posting that, very nice, very brisk; I like brisk.
I don't know what your take is on this symphony but I've always found it rather "oddball": its tonality, its orchestration, its "colour", for want of a better term.
What do you think, Zevy?

I wouldn't dare voice a personal opinion an a Beethoven symphony. In fact, I love this and would consider it a "dessert island" Beethoven symphony.

[Quijote]

I wouldn't dare voice a personal opinion an a Beethoven symphony. In fact, I love this and would consider it a "dessert island" Beethoven symphony.

Well, considering it as a "desert island" choice is, in fact, voicing a personal opinion! Please don't think that I'm denigrating this wonderful symphony; what I'm trying to convey is that I have always found its "colour" to be quite distinctive. When you step back and take a look at Beethoven's entire symphonic output we notice that there is only one other symphony on the sharp side of the circle of fifths, his 2nd in D major; the others are all on the flat side of that circle, apart from No. 1 (C major). I think that the choice of tonality contributes very much to the sound world that this symphony inhabits.

[Zevy]

Well, considering it as a "desert island" choice is, in fact, voicing a personal opinion! Please don't think that I'm denigrating this wonderful symphony; what I'm trying to convey is that I have always found its "colour" to be quite distinctive. When you step back and take a look at Beethoven's entire symphonic output we notice that there is only one other symphony on the sharp side of the circle of fifths, his 2nd in D major; the others are all on the flat side of that circle, apart from No. 1 (C major). I think that the choice of tonality contributes very much to the sound world that this symphony inhabits.

That is a very interesting point. However, we must take into account that the designation of where we place "C" in that beautiful concept of the circle of fifths is quite arbitrary. Of course, if we were to begin discussing the actual pitch used 200+ years ago, we would be opening the proverbial "Pandora's Box".
What I meant by not voicing a personal opinion was that I wouldn't put my ideas about LVB's works out there as a critic would. I'm just a little guy, and this particular work has a special place for me.

[Sorrano]

Last night I had a bit of a treat while listening to Exploring Music. First was the opening section of The Rite of Spring, conducted by Pierre Monteux (from 1952 - 1958 concerts). That was a very powerful rendition and I'm not sure I've ever heard that work in such a moving, expressive way. Also, I listened to the last movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitsky (1944). I've heard the movement played quite fast before and from slow to moderate, but never before at the breathtaking speed that he took it. That made for a very delightful evening!

[gprengel]

Ingenious Beethoven parody!!! Wow!!! Doesn't he even look like young Beethoven? https://youtu.be/h28kF6xDX3E

[Peter]

Purportedly by Beethoven's patron and pupil The Archduke Rudolph - Septet in E minor (1830)

[Quijote]

Ingenious Beethoven parody!!! Wow!!! Doesn't he even look like young Beethoven? https://youtu.be/h28kF6xDX3E

That was very funny, thanks for posting. Do you recognise the melody?

[Quijote]

Purportedly by Beethoven's patron and pupil The Archduke Rudolph - Septet in E minor (1830)

Thanks for posting that, fascinating if it is really by Archduke Rudolf. In the very opening bars I would have said it was by Schubert; after that, it became somewhat formulaic.

[gprengel]

That was very funny, thanks for posting. Do you recognise the melody?

Yes, the melody is from: https://youtu.be/83bmsluWHZc

[Schenkerian]

Listening to and analyzing the Bach Ricercar @ 6 from The Musical Offering. Had I known that Bach had visited Frederick the Great at Sanssouci in Postdam that place would have held additional reverence for me when I visited there!!

I note the 18 year old South Korean who won the Cliburn Competition played Bach's Ricercar @ 3 during one of the stages.

I like to invoke Crocodile Dundee and his priceless comment about a knife when thinking about the "thema regium" that Frederick offered to Bach for embellishment: "that isn't a theme; THIS is a theme"!!

[Chris]

Listening to Horowitz's transcription of Stars and Stripes Forever has become a tradition for me on the fourth of July, the U.S.A.'s Independence Day. It seems all the more important to keep the tradition when it hasn't really been the best year for us.

Maybe I'll learn this myself for next year. If so, I'd better start tomorrow!

[Peter]

The perfect cooling piece for the hot temperatures, up to 40C here in the UK today - Liszt's 'Les jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este' played magnificently by Claudio Arrau. I was fortunate many years ago to visit the Villa 'd'Este at Tivoli which was the inspiration for this piece, a truly beautiful place.

[Sorrano]

This morning heard the last two movements of a Guitar Concerto by Mauro Giulini (1st Concerto, I believe) on the radio. He was a cellist in the orchestra that premiered Beethoven's 7th Symphony.

[Sorrano]

I've been listening to excerpts (movements) from Bruckner's 4th and 7th Symphonies (conducted by Haitink and Karajan, respectively) as presented in the Exploring Music program. I've always liked Haitink's interpretations.

[Zevy]

Beethoven Violin Concerto
Stern/Bernstein NYP
Superb